Scissor Practice for Toddlers and Preschoolers
Learning how to draw and cut are one of the very first “school” lessons your toddler and preschooler will ever learn. Rather than just giving your child scissors, and saying, “cut away!”, you need to first set a foundation of how to cut and the responsibility of using scissors. We all remember the old saying, “don’t run with scissors in your hand” but there’s a few more adages that need to be stressed for responsible use of scissors.
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3 Rules for Responsible Scissor Use
#1. Do NOT RUN with scissors.
#2. When walking, always point the sharp end down.
#3. Do NOT cut your clothes, the kitchen towels, or your siblings hair.
Using scissors is a great way for kids to improve not only their eye-hand coordination skills but also motor skills. Â If you child is 3 or under, a great way to break into the motion of scissors is to first practice with tongs. Have your child go through the motions and then try picking up objects with the tongs. Once they have that down, they are ready to try with scissors and paper.
5 Activities for Teaching Children How to Use Scissors
Teaching scissor practice can be intimidating! It certainly was for me! So we found ways to practice with more than scissors and paper. Here are a few ways….from high and low prep to no prep!
1 – Make some paper towel/toilet paper happy faces with yarn or paper and give your customers a haircut! Honestly, this one takes a while to make, but all it takes is a little hot glue and patience.
2-Cooked too much spaghetti? Have some left over? Toss in some food color and have fun cutting it away!
3- Make (or buy) and cut some slime! We use training scissors for that.
4. Does your lawn need a little trim? Let the kids help! Give the kids some scissors and let them cut the grass! This is the best and most fun and pre-FREE!
5. Cut shapes of paper and glue them onto pieces of paper with outline of those shapes. Â This is a great way for them to try to get their cuts as close to the shape on the paper.
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